Ruzicka Named Christmas Parade Grand Marshal
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Randy Ruzicka and wife Linda pose in front of his 1930 Model A and mural artist Kenzie Wolk’s American flag mural on the side of Mueller Tire.
By MARK EVANS
STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD
Although he has only been part of the Ste. Genevieve community since 2006, Randy Ruzicka has thrown himself into helping the community since his arrival.
Now presiding county commissioner, Ruzicka is this year’s selection to be grand marshal of the Christmas parade, which kicks off the 39th annual Ste. Genevieve Holiday Christmas Festival., Dec. 2
Ruzicka has taken part in the parade in the past, usually driving one of the vintage vehicles he has restored.
“It’s an honor,” Ruzicka said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever done that. I’ve been in the parade probably every year in some capacity or another. All I can say is it’s an honor and I appreciate it.”
“He has loved this town dearly ever since he’s lived here,” said festival director Annette Rolfe. “He’s been an alderman, he’s currently county commissioner, and he really accomplishes a lot. He does everything in his power he can to make the town a better place.”
Ruzicka grew up in South St. Louis, graduating from Cleveland High School. He opened his first garage at age 19, while working for others.
He became totally self-employed in 1989, getting involved in real estate and a St. Louis parking lot service.
He and his late first wife moved to Ste. Genevieve in 2006.
“Well, I was familiar with the area and I had visited here, though I had not been here in a long time at that point,” Ruzicka saids.
“My wife and I were looking for basically a weekend property, somewhere to go away to on the weekends. We couldn’t really find what we wanted, but we were out driving around and we just happened to stop in here on a Sunday afternoon at the Tin Roof, which is where Common Grounds is now. And I opened up a copy of the newspaper as I was having my coffee and I saw a picture of a house for sale. So the short version of the story is, we bought the house and once we were here, we decided that we didn’t want it to be a weekend thing. We decided life was much better here, so fell in love with the area and decided to stay here.”
He wound up opening Thunder Road Garage, where he restored classic vehicles.
He lost his first wife to cancer in 2013, but later met his current wife Linda, a Ste. Genevieve native.
Classic car restoration began as a hobby for Ruzicka, before developing into a business.
“Well, I always liked the older vehicles,” he said. “I just liked them. I liked the style. And it was a hobby, which then, as automobiles progressed, and they became more and more complicated, the joy of repairing them went away. I don’t care for it. I prefer the older cars, because I know how to do them. So I decided, I made a conscious decision to focus on that niche, which actually worked out very well for me and became quite lucrative. And I stuck with it until a point where I closed my shop. I still work on my own, but I don’t take in any work from anybody.”
Ruzicka has six restored classics in his collection, a 1930 Model A, a 1955 Chevrolet, a 1957 Thunderbird, a 1957 Ford Ranchero, a 1963 Ford Galaxy, a 1966 Ford pickup and a 1969 Ford F-100 pickup.
Ruzicka served two terms on the board of aldermen before running for county commission.
“I really, really love our way of life here. I love living here,” Ruzicka said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. And my objective has always been to maintain what we have.
“Having grown up in St. Louis, I’ve seen the decline and I want to try with everything I can to make sure that those sorts of issues never happen here. I love it here and I want it to stay like it is. It’s a beautiful place to live. It’s a safe community. I love the people.”